Sept 14, 2013 — Here we are in the middle of September and summer is quickly coming to an end. Saying goodbye to the summer of 2013 is really going to suck. For whatever reason both Halifax and Moncton were unable to land any of the major outdoor shows that we have grown accustom to in recent years. Overall we can’t complain since there has been a good mix of live shows here in Atlantic Canada. Closing out the summer of 2013, the 1st Maritime Metal & Hard Rock Festival at Fox Mountain Camp Grounds easily turned out to be one of the best. This festival was made possible by Jay Chetwynd who also runs an annual Blues Festival at the same location.
Heading into this event we really had no idea what we had in store for us before arriving at Fox Mountain Camping Park. It had been quite some time since we spent an entire day listening to in your face Metal.
To get things started, Saint John, NB based Dark Envy took the stage. Prior to showtime we were unfamiliar with Dark Envy. This was our first chance to check these guys out and they did not disappoint. Their set was tight and they demonstrated a consistently high energy level throughout their entire performance.
Next up is Konjurer who are another real heavy band that operates out of New Brunswick. This was our first exposure to Konjurer but when vocalist Chris Lewis took charge of things, those in attendance remained fully captured for their entire jaw dropping set.
Nova Scotia Metal band Hitman was next to hit the stage and as usual their set started heavy and got heavier as it progressed. We enjoyed their set but the boys really should check that their guitar is in tune before starting and finding out it’s far from it, D’oh! Relax guys it’s not in the review. Tuning issues aside the crowd loved these guys and they are well worth a look if you see them playing somewhere close by.
The band Vicious just recently moved to Halifax with visions of more venues and bigger crowds to play to. These guys really surprised us with a very well polished set of high intensity tunes. We would have no issue recommending them and even told them they should go check out the open mic at Monte’s on a Wednesday night to experience one of the best sound and lighting setups anywhere in HRM. We are looking forward to catching them live in a Halifax/Dartmouth venue soon.
After Vicious things toned down a touch as Halifax band Black City Avenger took their place on stage. We have recently seen these guys playing Monte’s along with 7 Mile Stare and thoroughly enjoyed them. On Saturday afternoon they came out and performed a very good set of what would classify as Hard Rock but definitely not Metal. They even threw in a cover of The Rolling Stones classic Paint It Black. Check out their video posted below; we have a pretty good feeling that you will like it.
Chaos Theory was next up and we waited restlessly in anticipation of their set. Rock Johnson fronts this Nova Scotia powerhouse and they always rock the house with their gutsy live shows. They work hard every show leaving nothing in the gas tank when they are done. Check out the video of Remind which is one of their new songs, it rocks.
That’s it for part 1 of our review. We opted to post it in two parts because the full length would scroll for ages and to be honest I need a break after these busy past 5 days. Check back early next week for the second half but until then remember to spread the word about this killer new festival that can only get better with age.
